Public Safety
For eight years, I was the chief prosecutor for Minnesota’s most populous county, serving more than one million residents in Minneapolis and 45 suburban communities. I know that government’s first responsibility is to protect the safety of its citizens. To do this, those who serve our communities need adequate equipment, staff and training to stay safe and do their jobs well.
In recent years, especially since 9/11, we have placed ever greater responsibilities on our police. They have been expected to improve their ability to respond in a crisis. But, they have been forced to do their work with diminishing federal funds from sources they used to depend upon.
Over the past six years, important sources of support for law enforcement have been under attack. In the past, these federal funds were used to hire new police officers, purchase necessary equipment, train law enforcement officers and acquire information systems to coordinate communications among first responders and various criminal justice agencies. At a time when state and local budgets are tight, these federal funds become even more important in assisting local law enforcement to fulfill their duties to protect Minnesotans.
As Minnesota’s U.S. Senator, these are my public safety priorities:
- Preserve and strengthen the federal programs that have made a difference for our police departments. I will work to ensure that Minnesota's law enforcement professionals have adequate funds for community policing by protecting and securing COPS funds for the state. I support full funding of the COPS Program, which has a proven record of reducing crime by helping local police departments put more officers on the streets. I have sponsored a bill to authorize full funding of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, an important source of assistance for state and local law enforcement.
- Ensure that our state and local communities have the support they need to hire, train and equip law enforcement officers and other first responders. I will champion programs like the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program, and any resources or programs that allocate federal funds to first responders to respond to crises or homeland security threats.
- Ensure that police officers have the support they need to prevent violent and drug-related crime. I will fight to make sure our government does its best to prevent violent crime and drug related crimes. I’ve seen the tragic impact of the meth epidemic in rural Minnesota. To tackle meth and other drugs we must enforce the laws and provide treatment. I will honor the commitment law enforcement has made to keeping our communities safe.
- Implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Among my first votes as Senator was support for implementing the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to strengthen America’s security, answering the appeals of the many widows and family members who had walked the halls of Congress for years looking for results. This legislation strengthens emergency communications and supports tighter security for air cargo, ports, chemical plants and rail systems. It creates a Homeland Security Grant Program for states, as well as a grant program to improve communications operability and interoperability at local, regional, state and federal levels.
- Restore integrity at the U.S. Department of Justice. Ultimately, our public safety depends on the rule of law. Public trust in the rule of law is essential to the functioning and legitimacy of our system of justice. That trust has been severely damaged by partisan political interference in the Justice Department under the leadership of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. I have called for the resignation of Attorney General Gonzales and I have asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate why Minnesota’s highly-regarded U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger apparently was put on a political “hit list” within the Justice Department. The Attorney General serves as our nation's chief law enforcement officer and our country’s leading guardian of the rule of law. The damage to the integrity of the Justice Department must be repaired.